An unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV”) is a remotely piloted or self-piloted aircraft that can carry cameras, sensors, communications equipment, or other payloads. A UAV is capable of controlled, sustained, level flight and may be powered by, for example, a jet or an engine. A UAV may be remotely controlled or may fly autonomously based on preprogrammed flight plans or more complex dynamic automation systems.
UAVs have become increasingly used for various applications where the use of manned flight vehicles is not appropriate or is not feasible. For example, military applications may include surveillance, reconnaissance, target acquisition, data acquisition, communications relay, decoy, harassment, or supply flights. UAVs are also used in a growing number of civilian applications, such as firefighting when a human observer would be at risk, police observation of civil disturbances or crime scenes, reconnaissance support in natural disasters, and scientific research, such as collecting data from within a hurricane.
A UAV may have avionics equipment on board to control the flight and operation of the UAV. The avionics may control the direction, flight, stability compensation, and other aspects of flight control. The avionics may comprise, for example, a three-axis magnetometer to provide attitude measurements of the vehicle. Additionally, a UAV may carry a variety of equipment on board tailored to the mission that the UAV is to accomplish.